(June 18, 2015 at 1:29 pm)Rhythm Wrote: And whats the price of entry into this eternal themepark? That we strung up the better man, piled all of our shit on his shoulders...tortured and then executed him? Do I have to sign off on that to get the golden ticket?
Hi Rhythm.
I apologize to you and the other poster that I have not yet addressed your questions regarding Vecarious Redemption. I know this is a very important subject and want to make sure I am up to par in order to give you the best response. In the mean time, please be patient with me.
Now, addressing your post above, I can only say this as a Catholic. There are Christian denominations out there who hold the belief that as long as a person believes Jesus is God, they will go to Heaven. Personally, this makes little sense to me. Perhaps they have a good philosophy behind it that I am not aware of, but I cannot speak for them. As a Catholic, I do not believe that "this is all that is necessary" to attain Heaven.
Furthermore, Catechism of the Catholic Church specifically teaches two things:
1. We cannot say we know if someone went to Hell. So, per Catholic teaching, I cannot say that my atheist aunt who passed away a couple years ago went to Hell. I know she was an Atheist and did not believe in God, but it would be against Church teaching for me to say/speculate "she's an atheist so she went to Hell." My aunt was a very kind person who lived a life of virtue and integrity. Personally, I absolutely, 100% believe she is in Heaven.
2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifically states that a person does not necessarily need to have been baptized (as we know it, with a pastor and water), in order to go to Heaven. It is perfectly possible that a person who lives a life of virtue, yet for whatever reason, is not Christian, to go to Heaven. That person does not need a baptismal ceremony, as we know it. That person can receive "baptism" through the grace of God, and can most certainly go to Heaven.
So basically, the Church does not go into severe specifics and hard lines regarding who does and does not go to Heaven. Personally speaking, I believe that if a person lives a life of virtue (love, honestly, generosity, kindness, humility, forgiveness, chastity, compassion, etc), that person will go to Heaven even if they are not Catholic. I think what matters most is what is in a person's heart.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
